Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.

Director:

Leonard Nimoy

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (based on "Star Trek" created by), Leonard Nimoy (story)

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	McCoy
James Doohan	...	Scotty
George Takei	...	Sulu
Walter Koenig	...	Chekov
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
Jane Wyatt	...	Amanda
Catherine Hicks	...	Gillian
Mark Lenard	...	Sarek
Robin Curtis	...	Lt. Saavik
Robert Ellenstein	...	Federation Council President
John Schuck	...	Klingon Ambassador
Brock Peters	...	Admiral Cartwright
Michael Snyder	...	Starfleet Communications Officer

Storyline

The most acclaimed Star Trek adventure of all time with an important message. It is the 23rd century, and a mysterious alien probe is threatening Earth by evaporating the oceans and destroying the atmosphere. In their frantic attempt to save mankind, Admiral Kirk and his crew must time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they find a world of punk, pizza and exact-change buses that are as alien to them as anything they have ever encountered in the far-off reaches of the galaxy. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy return as Kirk and Spock, along with the entire Star Trek crew.

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Plot Keywords:

probe | whale | alien probe | humpback whale | time travel | 

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Taglines:

The key to saving the future, can be found only in the past.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Startrek.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English Finnish

Release Date:

26 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Star Trek IV: The Adventure Continues

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,881,888, 30 November 1986

Gross USA:

$109,713,132

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$109,713,132

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Saavik is only featured in the first quarter of the movie. The character was "left behind" on Vulcan by the filmmakers, as they did not really know what to do with her in twentieth century San Francisco. In particular, Leonard Nimoy and Harve Bennett felt her to be too extraneous, and saw the redundancy of having to hide a second Vulcan's identity while on Earth in the past.

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Goofs

The whalers speak Finnish, but they are in the Bering Sea, part of the north Pacific Ocean. As Finland has not commercially hunted whales in well over a century, the Finns may be mercenaries for Japan, which was still involved in commercial whaling in 1986.

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Quotes

McCoy: You sure this is such a bright idea?
Kirk: What do you mean?
McCoy: [referring to Spock] I mean him! Back at his post like nothing happened. I don't know if you got the whole picture or not, but he's not quite operating on all thrusters!
Kirk: It'll come back to him.
McCoy: Are you sure?
[Kirk doesn't answer]
McCoy: That's what I thought.

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Crazy Credits

The ending credits play on top of photos and clips from the film.

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Alternate Versions

The German theatrical version contains a short summary of the two previous movies, instead of the challenger-dedication. Later video versions had both the summary and the dedication.

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Connections

Referenced in Alice in Wonderland (2010)

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Soundtracks

Ballad Of The Whale
(uncredited)
Performed by Yellowjackets

User Reviews

great!

I liked this movie. It is my favorite Star Trek film. The blend of scifi and comedy works.

Ever been shocked if you visit another country and have to adapt to its culture? Try visiting another time period! That's what Kirk and company do, as they visit 20th century America to retrieve a pair of humpback whales to ward off an alien probe, and you will love their (mis)adventures as they adapt.

*** out of ****